Countering the Scheme

"Enough." Gongsun Hui stopped him with a sharp rebuke, then added, "Sixth Uncle, don't act rashly yet. We can settle everything calmly."

Gongsun Hui was the legitimate daughter of the Shanyang Gongsun Clan, the principal wife of the Wang Clan's former Clan Leader, and the legitimate mother of the Wang Clan's new generation Clan Leader. Her status was more than sufficient for handling and mediating this matter.

Wang Dinghai said indignantly, "Fifth Sister-in-Law, it isn't that I, Sixth, am being rash. It's that this Liu brat has gone too far. Everyone in Ping'an Town knows that from thirty li to the right of Dingpu Ferry on the An River, all the way to Boulder Shoal, is the waters under our Ping'an Wang Clan's jurisdiction. Yet Liu Yongzhou has crossed the boundary to fish time and again. This time, he brazenly crossed ten li over the line! If I don't drive him off, will there still be any room for our Wang Clan to stand on the An River?"

"Oh, oh, oh, Wang Sixth, don't you go accusing the innocent first." Liu Yongzhou looked as though he had suffered a grievous injustice. "The An River has fierce winds and rushing waters, and our Liu Clan's territory lies upstream. Sometimes, it is inevitable that we can't keep our boats steady. Yet the moment you arrived, you rammed us with your fishing boat. You suffered a small loss in the clash and now you're calling in the elders. Outrageous! Are you bullying our Liu Clan because we have no Clan Leader or senior present?"

Wang Shouzhe had remained silent, secretly observing and weighing the situation. He had already determined that the Liu Clan had deliberately provoked this dispute. Their purpose was most likely to test him now that he had newly taken over as Clan Leader, perhaps also to gauge the capabilities of this new Clan Leader.

If he, the Clan Leader, proved incapable and timid, then the Liu Clan would most likely join hands with the Zhao Clan next. A series of open schemes and hidden plots would surge in like a tidal wave.

Cough, cough!

Wang Shouzhe coughed twice and calmly stepped forward.

"Shouzhe, you're here too?" Wang Dinghai's face lit up, but he immediately said indignantly, "Quick, judge who is right for your Sixth Uncle. That brat played dirty and launched a sneak attack. Your Sixth Uncle refuses to accept it and wants another fair match with him."

"So it is the Wang Clan's Young Clan Leader—no, I should say, the Clan Leader has arrived." Liu Yongzhou narrowed his eyes slightly, revealing a trace of wariness and envy toward Wang Shouzhe.

Without question, Wang Shouzhe surpassed Liu Yongzhou in overall strength in every aspect. Moreover, Wang Shouzhe was only eighteen and had already cultivated to the upper stage of the Sixth Layer of the Qi Refining Realm. His future potential was immense.

The Liu Clan was also deeply wary of Wang Shouzhe. If he were given the chance to charge into the Spirit Platform Realm, the balance in Ping'an Town would undergo a tremendous change.

The surrounding onlookers began murmuring among themselves. They seemed quite interested in the young Clan Leader who had just succeeded the Ping'an Wang Clan. Their words vaguely suggested that the Wang Clan's former Clan Leader, Wang Dingyue, had died too early. If he could have held on for another ten years, until Wang Shouzhe had fully matured as Young Clan Leader, the Ping'an Wang Clan's situation would have been entirely different.

"Sixth Uncle, victory and defeat are common in warfare." Wang Shouzhe narrowed his eyes slightly and casually probed in a lowered voice. "But are you truly certain you can defeat him? If you lose another match in full public view, it will damage our Wang Clan's prestige."

"Well..." Wang Dinghai hesitated briefly before saying in a low voice, "I've clashed with that Liu brat several times. Normally, we're evenly matched, each with our own advantages. I don't know why, but today was cursed. That brat's water escape technique seemed to have improved by a huge margin. In the water, he was as slippery as a loach. Your Sixth Uncle was caught off guard and suffered a loss. But don't worry, nephew. Even if I have to risk my old life, I'll win this match."

His water escape technique had improved by a huge margin?

Heh, now this was interesting. Wang Shouzhe rubbed his nose, more or less understanding the other side's tactics. They had created conflict, stirred up Wang Dinghai's unwillingness to accept defeat, then intended to have Liu Yongzhou, a rising junior, defeat Wang Dinghai before everyone's eyes and tarnish the Wang Clan's prestige.

If they could further inflame the emotions and have both sides sign some sort of wager, it would be even more perfect. Then they could take another huge bite out of the Wang Clan.

Having made a clear judgment of the situation, Wang Shouzhe immediately said, "Sixth Uncle, leave this matter to me."

"This..." Wang Dinghai hesitated slightly, but when he saw Wang Shouzhe's calm and composed expression, he settled down and took two steps back. "Shouzhe, be extra careful. The Liu Clan excels most at playing tricks."

"Rest assured, Sixth Uncle. We won't suffer a loss." After soothing him with a sentence, Wang Shouzhe swept his gaze around the scene and declared loudly before everyone's eyes, "Profound Martial Aristocratic Clans have always established themselves through martial strength. So-called ancestral territory—if one's descendants are incapable of defending it, then retreating to a corner is only natural. Liu Yongzhou, if your Liu Clan wishes to nibble away and annex our Wang Clan's fishing and hunting grounds, creating petty conflicts is merely a minor trick. Why not be straightforward? We are of the same generation, so why not follow our ancestors' example and fight a life-or-death arena battle? Whoever wins takes the other's fishing grounds. How about it?"

"What?"

Cries of alarm rose all around. A life-or-death arena battle?! Did the Wang Clan's young Clan Leader really need to be so aggressive?

Wang Shouzhe was a full five years younger than Liu Yongzhou. Yet his direct challenge to a life-or-death arena battle made Liu Yongzhou's face alternate between green and white. He did not dare accept it, nor could he accept it. All he could do was say awkwardly, "Clan Leader Wang, you must be joking. You are a Clan Leader. How can you enter an arena for a life-or-death battle?"

From this point alone, although Liu Yongzhou was outstanding among his peers, he was still more than a notch below Wang Shouzhe, who had always been raised as the Young Clan Leader.

"Heh." Wang Shouzhe sneered mockingly. "Cowardice is cowardice. Why dress it up in such grand and righteous words? I, Wang Shouzhe, will stand right here today. As long as they are from your Liu Clan's Yong generation, I will take on however many come."

"Good! Well said! The Wang Clan's new Clan Leader is truly bold!"

"A Profound Martial Family Clan establishes itself through martial strength. Interesting. Let's see how the Liu Clan responds now. As far as I know, the oldest of the Liu Clan's Yong generation is over thirty-six or thirty-seven, while the youngest is still babbling at the breast. Thinking it over, I truly can't imagine who could fight the Wang Clan's new Clan Leader."

"Brother, how strong is this young man? Can he really defeat every member of the Liu Clan's Yong generation?"

"You must be from out of town, right? That is our Ping'an Wang Clan's new Clan Leader, Wang Shouzhe. At only eighteen, he is nearly at the high stages of the Qi Refining Realm. Rumor has it that his talent in the sword path is exceptionally strong, and his swordsmanship has long reached the point of perfection." A local introduced him with a hint of pride. "Moreover, Wang Shouzhe has passed the Purple Mansion Academy's entrance screening and was due to enroll soon. Unfortunately, such a major incident happened to the Wang Clan, so he had no choice but to abandon his studies."

"The Purple Mansion Academy? The Purple Mansion Academy said to guarantee Spirit Platform attainment once one enters? Impressive, impressive. What a pity, what a pity!"

The surrounding discussions reached Wang Shouzhe's ears and reminded him that he really had passed the Purple Mansion Academy's preliminary entrance selection not long ago.

The Purple Mansion Academy in Longzuo Prefecture recruited a new class every three years, but its requirements were extremely strict. Each time, only one to three candidates within Changning would pass the preliminary selection and gain the qualifications to participate in the retest. That year, Wang Shouzhe had been among them.

But saying that he was about to enroll was exaggerated. Within the entire territory governed by Changning Guard, one Purple Mansion Academy student might not emerge even in eight or ten years. Wang Shouzhe considered himself exceptional, but he also knew that his chances of passing the retest were below thirty percent.

The tide of public opinion around them began to tilt toward the Wang Clan.

The earlier conflict, if mishandled, would originally have damaged the Wang Clan's reputation. Yet now, it had instead bolstered the Wang Clan's prestige.

"Big nephew, you did splendidly." Wang Dinghai said with delight written all over his face. "Let's see if that little Liu brat still dares to act arrogant."

Gongsun Hui was also somewhat pleasantly surprised. She had not expected that with just a few words, Shouzhe had turned a bad situation that could have harmed the family's prestige into one detrimental to the Liu Clan's reputation.

Before this, her legitimate son had always focused solely on his own cultivation and paid little attention to other matters. She had not expected that as soon as he became Clan Leader, he would display such ability.

"Good!"

Suddenly, a voice rang out in applause. "Clan Leader Wang's words have truly struck Liu like a deafening bell. Admirable, admirable. A Profound Martial Family Clan establishes itself through martial strength. If one cannot protect one's ancestral legacy, why not retreat to a corner? Good, well said!"

As he spoke, a middle-aged man in a brocade robe and bearing an extraordinary presence strode out like a dragon and tiger, surrounded by several fierce family guards. He stared at Wang Shouzhe with a smile that was not quite a smile.

The moment this man appeared, Gongsun Hui and Wang Dinghai both changed expression. "It's actually Liu Shengye!"

Gongsun Hui in particular looked displeased as she directly reminded Wang Shouzhe in a low voice, "Zhe'er, the Liu Clan Leader's appearance at this moment must be suspicious. You must respond carefully."

Liu Shengye.

Wang Shouzhe narrowed his eyes slightly. The current Clan Leader of the Ping'an Liu Clan. He had heard that his personal combat strength was not the Liu Clan's greatest, and even at forty, he had yet to break through to the Eighth Layer of the Qi Refining Realm.

But in Wang Shouzhe's memories, this man had always been known for his calculating cunning. He was a famous smiling tiger. In his contests with the Wang Clan's former Clan Leader, Wang Dingyue, he had repeatedly gained the upper hand. He was also highly skilled at managing clan assets, causing the Liu Clan's strength to rise steadily with each passing day.

"So Clan Leader Liu has arrived." Wang Shouzhe replied calmly. "Since Clan Leader Liu agrees with my words, does that mean you approve of the life-or-death arena battle between Liu Yongzhou and me?" Without another word, he first set a trap for Liu Shengye.

"How could that be? Clan Leader Wang's words are reasonable, but as the leader of a clan, how can you bully the young with your seniority?" Liu Shengye followed the snake up the stick. "Since it is a life-or-death arena battle, naturally the participants must have roughly equal status for it to be worth watching."

His meaning was naturally to pull this battle back onto Liu Yongzhou and Wang Dinghai.

"Clan Leader Liu's words are most reasonable." Wang Shouzhe nodded seriously in agreement. "Our Wang and Liu Clans have had many frictions and accumulated grievances over the years. Since we are having a life-or-death arena battle, why don't we two Clan Leaders personally take the field? That would count as equal status."

"What?"

Liu Shengye's face twitched. The Clan Leaders themselves were going to fight a life-or-death arena battle? Had Wang Shouzhe gone mad? First he had latched onto Liu Yongzhou, and now he had directly taken a bite out of Liu Shengye himself! Did this boy bite whoever he caught? Was that what he had meant?

The surrounding merchants, travelers, and other people at the ferry also fell into stunned silence. Right from the start, the Clan Leaders of two aristocratic clans were going to fight a life-or-death battle themselves. Did they really need to be this impulsive?